How NWC Prepaid Water means Digital Water Meters, Rainwater Harvesting Legislation on the horizon

Jamaicans, get ready for prepaid water.

The NWC (National Water Commission) in their push to tackle illegal connections and outstanding debt, plans to introduce prepaid water in 2018 as reported in the article “Prepaid Water Could Be Coming This Year”, published Tuesday January 9, 2018 by Jerome Reynolds, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This bit of info was revealed during an interview with Corporate Public Relations Manager at the NWC (National Water Commission) Charles Buchanan Power Talk on Power 106 FM on Tuesday January 9, 2018. This is being considered in light of the following facts relating to NWC customers:

1.      NWC has 450,000 paying customers

2.      125,000 accounts are currently disconnected because of outstanding water bills

To translate that in monetary terms:

1.      JA$20 billion is currently owed to the NWC by customers

2.      Majority of the debt is in arrears for more than 90 days

3.      25% of the arrears is owed by customers who have been disconnected for unpaid bills

This may be an extension of a previous NWC initiative to launch Prepaid water based on Water tanks as detailed in the article “NWC Looking into Prepaid Water Tank Programme”, published February 28, 2014 By Rodger Hutchinson, The Jamaica Information Service. Several factors are being considered, such as the type of customer who would benefit from prepaid water.

So how will this be achieved?

NWC and Prepaid Water - Digital Water Meters, Rainwater Harvesting Legislation on the horizon

Since prepaid water would require more accurate billing, it is also an indication of the coming of Digital Water meters as long predicted in my blog article entitled “Why NWC Digital Water Meters means Water Rate Increase coming in 2016”.

This is part of the NWC's plan to reduce the impact of non-revenue water on their system as noted in “Gov’t To Reduce Non-Revenue Water”, published Friday September 22, 2017, The Jamaica Gleaner.

If Digital Water meters are coming, further legislation for the introduction of Rainwater Harvesting may be in the works as predicted in my blog article entitled “How Rainwater Harvesting Bill means Rainwater Net Billing to end NWC's Water monopoly”. 

Not only would more accurate Digital Meters reduce water losses, it may also make it easier for third-party water providers to enter the market, as explained in my blog article entitled “How NWC’s Water Conservation in Drought 2016 means Rainwater Harvesting with Digital Meters”.

Competition in the water sector is always good; expecting that Prepaid Water will mean more water companies and possibly lower water bills!!!